Developing small town Uganda: diverse aspirations, capabilities and lived experiences of residents

Abstract

Abstract This study examines the experiences of residents in seven small but rapidly growing towns in Uganda, an understudied scale of urbanisation in Sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing on extensive household survey and focus group data, we apply the aspirations–capabilities framework to explore how diverse residents navigated the contexts, with differentiated outcomes. Experiences of urban change are not homogeneous. Residents who had moved to the towns from rural areas sought employment but tended to remain in precarious circumstances. Urban-origin in-migrants were more educated and female and sought a better-quality life and they were reaping more benefit from town developments. Lifelong residents shared some of the challenges of rural migrants but could also engage their networks and home ownership and land ownership to benefit from how urban Uganda has been developing. Local discourses around urban growth and in-migration were more positive than official control narratives in the country have been. Residents portrayed in-migration as bringing new ideas, jobs, and an increase in urban services and facilities. Yet residents also noted that growth in population did not always equate to improved quality, with concerns about privatisation limiting inclusivity. Policy implications stress the need to move beyond a numbers-focused approach to urban growth. Insights are relevant not only for Uganda but also for other fast-growing African towns facing similar challenges in how to support an inclusive development.